How to Choose the Right Baseball Glove

Rawlings Playmaker Series PL195CB Baseball Glove (9.5-Inch) Lowest Price: $10.52

Rawlings Player Preferred Series PP125CMB Baseball Glove (Right Hand Throw) Lowest Price: $44.99

Rawlings Playmaker Series PM125 Baseball Glove (12.5-Inch) Lowest Price: $33.03

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Baseball is widely considered to be the most popular sport in the United States. America’s pastime has even spread across the globe into places like Japan, Africa, and a little bit around Europe. More and more people are picking up baseball bats and baseball gloves to run out on the field and play this beloved sport.

If you’re new to the game and interested in purchasing a baseball glove, or if your son or daughter is picking up the game and you need to buy them a glove of their own, you need to learn which glove is right for you and your style of play before you spend any money. Allow this article to point you in the right direction and give you the guidelines you should use when you finally embark on your baseball glove shopping spree.

First You Need to Know What Your Position Is.

If you’re thinking of playing on a baseball team you should know that not every position is made equal. There are three main position types that you should consider before you make any big purchases. Those three archetype positions are: the outfielder, the infielder, and the catcher. Each position has a unique baseball glove designed especially for them.

The Catcher’s Glove:

A catcher’s glove is more like a giant mitten than a glove. It is designed to take the most amount of force possible because the catcher will be slammed with pitch after pitch at close range if the pitcher is doing his job right. For safety and comfort the glove is designed with a ton of padding that makes it difficult to catch baseballs in any position other than straight on. You wouldn’t want to be caught trying to catch a fly ball with a catcher’s mitt.

The Infielder’s and Midfielder’s Glove:

Taking a step out a little further from the catcher are those players on the bases. Anyone who stands in the dirt diamond is considered an infielder. The gloves on these guys are generally a little bit smaller than the outfielder’s gloves and they prefer to have closed webbing. These guys need to be able to catch and release the ball as fast as possible and most of the time will be catching a ball thrown or hit straight at them.

The Outfielder’s Glove:

Outfielders are the ones you can see picking up grass, bored out of their minds, during little league games. These guys are the athletes standing way out in the back of the baseball field that will be catching all of the fly balls and preventable home runs. The outfielder’s glove is usually a little longer than the infielder’s and it will have a deep pocket and open webbing.

Before you buy any type of glove you need to determine what position you’re most likely going to play. If you’re brand new, the glove you purchase will help the coach decide where to put you.

What’s Your Age and Skill Level?

So you’ve figured out that you don’t want to play catcher and you’re playing somewhere in the field. How old are you and how skilled are you? These two factors will determine all of the little features that go into your glove, and boy each glove has a truckload of features to choose from.

Just Starting Out: Age 5 – 8

There’s a myth running around the little league parents that says you should outfit your little-leaguer with a larger adult sized glove. The idea is that with a bigger glove he will be able to catch more balls and ultimately gain more confidence as a player. Don’t buy into this myth.

Instead, you should be looking for a baseball glove your child can actually close. You want them to be learning the fundamentals of the game at this stage of play, confidence can come later. You want to find gloves that have a nice Velcro tightening system, ones that don’t have any lacing across the top of the glove and ones that are made out of soft material like pigskin. You will find a lot of Mizuno baseball gloves that sport these features in their youth baseball gloves.

Getting Better All the Time: Age 9 – 12

Now you, or your child, have been playing the game for a little while. You know the gist of it and you know how the glove works but you’re still not strong enough to use the professional style gloves. If this is the case than you will want to look for gloves that have deep pockets and thumb extension features. The deep pocket will help your child hold onto the ball if it happens to fall in his glove and the thumb extension (an elongated sheath for his thumb) will give him the feeling that his thumb is longer and help him to close the glove properly.

You will find that a lot of Wilson baseball gloves have these features. Try to make sure that the baseball glove closes naturally and not from thumb to pinky. Remember, you’re trying to teach proper game play mechanics as you go along.

Almost Pro But Not Quite: Age 13 – 18

This is the stage right before college level play and it’s where your child is going to get the most serious about baseball in his teenage years. Maybe he’s playing on the High School team or just in a serious recreational league. When you go out to buy a glove for this stage you want to look for baseball gloves with pro-model patterns made from softer materials. The goal is to match the look and feel of a professional baseball glove without that difficult leather break in process.

You may find that many Rawlings baseball gloves are good for this stage. Sports Bag Blog did an article earlier discussing ways to break in your baseball gloves if you’re interested in taking that route.

How Much Should You Spend?

We’ve talked about all of the different glove types you can buy and what to look for in a glove at each stage of the game but sometimes it all just boils down to one thing: price. Here are a few general rules of thumb to go by when buying a baseball glove based on price:

Amateurs don’t need to spend more than $100 on their baseball glove. If you’re new to the game or just playing casually with some friends you shouldn’t spend a lot of money. You can find a lot of good discount baseball gloves out there, even some used baseball gloves, which will last you a long time and treat you well if you don’t play with them too often.

If you’re more of a professional player, or aspiring professional player, you’re going to want to spend a little bit more on your baseball glove. We recommend spending $180 to $400 on a good baseball glove if you’re serious about the game.